LDA Partners with IDEXX Laboratories to Stop the Spread of Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases in People and Pets

Photo_2007_001.jpg (39875 bytes)Pat Smith, President, LDA, with Dr. Matt Eberts, DVM, Lakeland Veterinary Hospital, Baxter Minnesota. Ms. Smith attended Dr. Eberts’s presentation on Tick-Borne Infections: The Basics at NAVC (North American Veterinary Conference) in Orlando, Florida, January 15, 2007. Dr. Eberts spoke about Lyme disease and the unexpected rise in cases of anaplasmosis in dogs in his Minnesota-based practice. Anaplasmosis is a Lyme disease co-infection carried by the same ticks that carry Lyme and can infect both people and pets, including dogs, cats and horses. Dogs are sentinels for Lyme disease and are 50 to 100 times more likely to be diagnosed with Lyme disease than their owners. When canine Lyme disease incidence is on the rise, human case numbers generally follow since people share the same space and activities as their pets.